This Week in Hockey is a weekly column in which assistant blogger Michael Spinner (@MichaelSpinner) shares and discusses the major storylines in the National Hockey League from the past week.
So we’ve reached the end of the 2011-2012 NHL regular season, and now the fun really begins! When you think about it, what happens during the next two months will almost entirely erase the memory of what transpired during the previous six months. That is the beauty of the NHL and the Stanley Cup – it is the hardest team trophy in sports to achieve because all of the rhetoric in sports that applies to a ‘second season’ when the playoffs begin.
It’s going to be one heck of a ride, but before it commences, one last column to cover the regular season. Before we know it, the Stanley Cup Champion will be crowned and all eyes will be on Las Vegas on June 20 for the NHL Awards Show. Here is a look at the different awards, as well as our picks regarding their winners.
JACK ADAMS AWARD (NHL COACH OF THE YEAR):
Winner - John Tortorella, New York Rangers
Runner-up – Ken Hitchcock, St. Louis Blues
After last week’s column about John Tortorella, and his outstanding effort as Head Coach of the New York Rangers this season, there is not a whole lot to say. One point from that column to be underscored: Looking at all of the major contenders for this award (Hitchcock, Barry Trotz, Darryl Sutter, etc.), Tortorella did the best job this season coaching his team out of anybody when considering pre-season expectations. Two seasons ago, Ollie Jokinen missed the ‘Shootout Heard Around the World’ (or at least around New York City) and the Rangers missed the playoffs. Last season, the Rangers were dispatched in five games from the first round of the post-season by the Washington Capitals. 2011-2012? Many were merely hoping for a repeat playoff appearance for the Blueshirts, but Tortorella upped the ante. Despite competing in arguably the toughest division in hockey, the Rangers defied all expectations and earned the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference Championships, as well as top seed in the East. There are several coaches in the running for the Adams Award, but Tortorella did the most with what seemed to be the least at the beginning of the season, and therefore deserves to be honored as NHL Coach of the Year.
By the way, if you missed the unabridged version supporting Tortorella for the Jack Adams Award last week, it was quite breathtaking … and you can find it here: http://www.rangerstribune.com/the-rangers-tribune/2012/04/this-week-in-hockey-tough-guy-torts-is-the-best-coach-in-hockey.html?tw_p=twt
BILL MASTERSON TROPHY (PERSEVERANCE, SPORTSMANSHIP, DEDICATION TO HOCKEY):
Winner – Max Pacioretty, Montreal Canadiens
For Some Reason the Likely Winner – Matt Cooke, Pittsburgh Penguins
Intriguing Possibility – Jaromir Jagr, Philadelphia Flyers
This is one award you have to love … even if you do not know exactly what it is for. Every NHL club has the opportunity to nominate a member to win an award for the exemplification of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The idea is to reward an NHL player who has overcome some sort of adversity in order to resume a successful hockey career, play the game the right way, and take time to give a little something back … all of which is personified by Montreal’s Max Pacioretty.
During what was a disaster of a 2011-2012 season for the Montreal Canadiens, one of the big bright spots was the play of Pacioretty, who will likely be the cornerstone of a rebuilding effort by the Habs. Pacioretty missed the final 15 games of the 2010-2011season and entire post-season for the Canadiens after suffering a neck injury and concussion. You know, the kind of injury that could end a player’s career. Not only did Pacioretty come back healthy, he came back better, leading Montreal with 33 goals and 32 assists, while playing in 79 games. On a brutal Montreal team, Pacioretty finished a +2, and on a team with a bit more fire-power, Pacioretty is likely a 100-point player.
For sake of this particular award, even more important than his numbers was what Pacioretty did off the ice. After sustaining the injury a year ago, Pacioretty launched the Max Pacioretty Foundation, to help the Montreal General Hospital Foundation raise the funds needed towards acquiring a Functional MRI machine for their Traumatic Brain Injury Center. In other words, Max Pacioretty suffered a potentially traumatic brain injury a season ago, and recovered to enjoy a stellar season, while in the process establishing a foundation to help those who suffer a similar injury to what he suffered. During an era of sports when so much attention has been given to head injuries, Pacioretty did his part to help find a solution and/or treatment – and he did so locally for his hockey club. This is the kind of act this award was created for.
The smart money, if you regularly listen to or read the opinions of hockey experts, is of course is on Matt Cooke because he enjoyed a successful season on the ice while finally not being a complete and utter goon during the process. He had 19 goals, 19 assists, and only 44 penalty minutes, after seemingly averaging that many penalty minutes per game during previous seasons. With all due respect for Cooke’s efforts towards professional rehabilitation, it would be a disgrace to the memory of Bill Masterson and all of those who have earned this prestigious if (and probably when) Cooke is honored.
Exactly what kind of adversity did Cooke overcome to enjoy such a fine season? After all, being a jerk and hunting heads is not adversity … it is a character flaw. Since the 2008-2009 season, Cooke could have ended the careers (or even worse) of too many players to count. His disgusting behavior on the ice was not a measure of adversity to overcome, it represented a player for an organization that seems to be above the rules in the NHL to begin with, taking the NHL’s soft stance on the Penguins to an extreme, and people getting hurt as a result. Remember Marc Savard? He might be playing right now if Matt Cooke were to have been thrown out of the league years earlier like he should have.
It is not the overcoming of adversity when one stops being a jerk and starts following the rules … that is called growing up, and there is nothing that can compare Cooke’s triumph over challenges to Pacioretty. To insist that Cooke deserves the award is to set the wrong example for hockey. A guy gets honored for finally obeying the rules? Ridiculous.
Jaromir Jagr is an interesting possibility. While an unlikely winner of the Masterson Trophy, Jagr is worthy of consideration. After all, Jagr spent three years out of the NHL while playing in the KHL, which is a totally different world from the hard-hitting, blue collar nature of NHL hockey. Despite his advanced age, and time spent out of the league, Jagr was solid for the Flyers all season, finishing third on the team with 54 points during 73 games. Jagr proved to be dangerous every time he touched the puck, and his comeback is a feel-good story for the NHL this season. Jagr is not the most popular guy in several cities where he played, but the man is likely a Hall of Fame hockey player, and his return this season was a great storyline in the NHL … even if it was in Philadelphia.
LADY BYNG TROPHY (GENTLEMANLY CONDUCT):
Winner – Brian Campbell, Florida Panthers
A VERY close second place – Matt Moulson, New York Islanders
Also worthy of consideration – Jordan Emberle, Edmonton Oilers; Martin St. Louis – Tampa Bay Lightning
There are probably a dozen other NHL players who could be on this list, and all four candidates listed above deserve some very serious consideration for the Byng Trophy, but Campbell is the odds-on-favorite for two reasons: A) Campbell is a defenseman who played prime minutes and only recorded six total penalty minutes this season; and B) Campbell is participating in the playoffs, while Moulson, Emberle, and St. Louis are not. While post-season participation is generally not a criteria for awards such as the Lady Byng, when it comes to gentlemanly conduct, when the calendar gets to late March/early April, the games get more intense, and rivalries heat up to a boiling point, staying out of the penalty box is quite a challenge, and Campbell managed to do just that.
While leading Florida to their first post-season since prior to the lock-out, Campbell played in all 82 games, led the Panthers with 49 assists, and his six penalty minutes are just amazing considering that during the last month of the season, nearly every game was a playoff game for Florida. Campbell is not a hulking, bruising defenseman who forces the body, a usual candidate for penalty minutes, but he is still a solid, physical presence who managed to play defense the right way this season, and avoid the penalty box. Think about how many times a defenseman is sent to the penalty box after a save for the extracurricular pushing and shoving that takes place … and still Campbell stayed out of the box and on the ice.
Nothing against the other candidates, but there is a big difference between emotion and physicality of playing in a game with the entire season on the line, and playing in a game while serving as a spoiler. The Lady Byng should go to a classy player who succeeded in displaying good sportsmanship, with contribution to the success of a winning team being a factor when possible. Campbell meets all of these criteria, and should win the award.
FRANK SELKE TROPHY (TOP DEFENSIVE FORWARD):
Winner – Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
Runner-up – Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Some smart money should go to Datsyuk because he seems to win it every season (well, except 2010-2011), but if a runaway winner exists for any award, it is Bergeron for the Selke Trophy. While the Selke Trophy is awarded to the top defensive trophy, Bergeron actually deserves an award for doing everything else on the ice but standing between the pipes. Aside from 22 goals and 42 assists – which of course have nothing to do with being a defensive forward – Bergeron led the NHL with a +36 rating and had a league-high 59.5 percent success rate taking face-offs, while also proving to be a crucial penalty killer for the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Bergeron was also assigned to a somewhat old-school checking line, designed to stop the best the opposition had to offer, yet still gave the Bruins a vital offensive punch. This award seemed to have been created for a season like what Bergeron enjoyed, and this vote should not even be close. One might argue that Bergeron should be in consideration for the Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) because there might not be a player in the NHL as valuable to his team as Bergeron, but because his accomplishments did not draw headlines like the Hart favorites, he will likely earn the Selke Trophy, and a major pay-day when his contract is up because the Bruins do not finish as the #2 team in the East without Bergeron in the line-up … along with the strange way the NHL seedings are determined.
Datsyuk battled injuries to enjoy his typical outstanding campaign for the Red Wings, but in every major defensive category, his numbers were slightly lower than Bergeron’s. Not much else to write, the award is Bergeron’s … and that is pretty much a sure thing.
CALDER TROPHY (ROOKIE OF THE YEAR):
Winner – Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche
VERY Close Runner-up – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers
Most Talented Rookie – Adam Henrique, New Jersey Devils
Biggest Upside – Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers
The NHL can flip a coin to pick the winner here, but Gabriel Landeskog of the Colorado Avalanche should edge Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers for the Calder Trophy. Overall, it was a disappointing season for the Avalanche, but Landeskog was a revelation, scoring 22 goals while adding 30 assists. Both Landeskog and Nugent-Hopkins were tied to lead all NHL rookies with 52 points, but on a less-than-stellar Avalanche team, Landeskog finished an unbelievable +20, and chipped in five game-winning goals. Nugent-Hopkins was equally impressive, and probably would have lead NHL rookies in points had he not suffered a mid-season injury that cost him some time. However, the big difference between the two – statistically speaking – was Landeskog’s +20, compared to Nugent-Hopkins’s -2. To be +20 on a non-playoff team is a sign that Landeskog was solid enough in all facets of the game to earn Calder Trophy honors. Let’s face it, the day is coming when both Landeskog and Nugent-Hopkins will be household names among hockey fans as both are emerging superstars in this league. For now, they are the top-two in hockey, with Landeskog likely edging Nugent-Hopkins for top rookie honors.
On the local front, it would be a sac-relig to not note that NY Rangers forward Carl Hagelin and New Jersey Devils forward Adam Henrique enjoyed stellar rookie seasons, and unlike the top-two choices for the Calder Trophy, will be key components of their respective teams’ post-season runs. Henrique is a dark-horse for the Calder Trophy as he finished with only one fewer point than Landeskog and Nugent-Hopkins (16 goals, 35 assists), and his +8 was among his team’s leaders. Henrique, if anything, likely would have had even more points on a team like Colorado or Edmonton, but while playing for the Devils with the firepower of Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk , and Patrick Elias, Henrique is just not the team’s top guy … not even close. Yet still, he had 51 points in 74 games, and could be the most talented player among the Calder Trophy favorites. If the Devils do lose Parise this coming summer to free agency, Henrique has all of the goods to fill the void created by the loss of Parise.
Hagelin could have the biggest upside of all NHL rookies as his blazing speed and scoring touch made him a solid addition to the Rangers line-up this season. Considering he had limited exposure to professional hockey before his call-up to the Rangers, Hagelin was outstanding this season, and still has a lot of development to go. Few NHL players skate like Hagelin, and he proved this year to have a quality scoring touch, and ability to see the ice well, and make accurate passes. As he learns the NHL game, Hagelin should see monumental improvement, and has the potential to become a bona fide superstar in this league … playing on a line with Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards for the home stretch of the season will almost certainly increase his learning curve as his game develops. Hagelin likely would have been in the Calder Trophy mix had he played the full season for the Rangers, but while he won’t take home any trophies this season, there will be plenty of award opportunities down the road for the Swedish Superstar.
NORRIS TROPHY (TOP DEFENSEMAN):
Winner – Eric Karlsson, Ottawa Senators
VERY Close Runners-up – Zedeno Chara, Boston Bruins; Nikolas Lindstrom, Detroit Red Wings
Dark Horse Candidates – Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues; Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
Probably the most frustrating award in the NHL to consider annually is the Norris Trophy, awarded to the top defenseman in the league. This is the sentence where most ‘experts’ will declare that offensive statistics should not be a factor in the awarding of the Norris Trophy. However, you will not read such a sentence here. If offensive statistics are not a factor, then how does one determine the best defenseman in hockey? You cannot use team defensive statistics too strongly because team defensive statistics reflect a system and ultimately an outstanding goaltender. You cannot use plus/minus too strongly because plus/minus can be very misleading at times. It is very very difficult to accurately classify one defenseman as being the best in the league since there are not many (or any) individual statistics to reflect defensive greatness, so this award becomes subjective.
The reality is that the Norris Trophy should be awarded to a defenseman who has a special kind of season that puts him above all others. That means everything from being a major contributor to a defensive system that is among the best in the league (think Dan Girardi in this year’s New York Rangers system), playing prime minutes, working on special teams (either or both), and – yes – an offensive-minded defenseman. So if Zedeno Chara scores 50 goals during a single season, but his team allows four goals a game to finish in last place, Chara potentially should not win the Norris Trophy. And if Girardi is the top defenseman for a Rangers team that allows less than two goals a game to finish in first place, but Girardi does absolutely nothing on the offensive end of the ice or special teams, he should potentially not receive the Norris Trophy. It should go to a defenseman who does a lot of everything.
Which is why Karlsson is the winner this season. On the offensive end, Karlsson’s numbers were absolutely amazing considering that the league’s scoring leaders were not an overly impressive group this season. 19 goals and 58 assists for a defenseman is just incredible when considering that Karlsson’s 78 points were only 31 off of Evgeni Malkin’s league-leading total, and Makin was the only player in hockey this season to break 100 points. Karlsson also had 25 points more than any other defenseman in hockey this season.
On the defensive end, Karlsson was part of the top defensive tandem for the Senators, who overall were good, but not great defensively. Karlsson is not a bruiser by any means, and not even a special teams specialist, but he is a solid, steady defenseman, who adds an element to the Senators offensive game that few – if any – defensemen in the NHL can offer. He was the complete package among NHL defensemen this season, and was probably the best all-around defenseman in the league.
Yes, by awarding the Norris Trophy to Erik Karlsson, we are denying Nikolas Lindstrom his record-tying eighth Norris Trophy, but there is a good chance the award will go to Lindstrom due to name-recognition alone. However, among the list of Norris favorites, Lindstrom played in the fewest number of games this season (70), which will likely hurt him. Otherwise, there is a line of logic to support Lindstrom since he was the top defenseman on a much better defensive team, played the power play and killed penalties, and contributed 34 points and a +21. Plus, Lindstrom is the greatest defenseman of this generation … something that cannot hurt his chances.
Chara, Pietrangelo, and Weber also have a shot, simply because they were the best defensemen on three of the best defensive teams in hockey, respectively. Weber is the most interesting possibility because his skill-set is not unlike Karlsson’s, while Nashville as a team was so much better defensively than Ottawa. However, ultimately, this is an offensive league with goals and assists grabbing the most headlines. Eric Karlsson had an offensive hockey season that would have been outstanding during any season, let alone one where individual point production was so far down. Purists may scoff, but this year, look for the Norris Trophy to go to Karlsson for his aptitude in every element of the game … even if he is not the game’s best defensive defenseman.
VEZINA TROPHY (TOP GOALTENDER):
Winner – Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers
Runners-up – Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes
And with this declaration, let the debate begin! So many experts are picking Quick to win the Vezina over Lundqvist that this pick is sure to create quite the stir, but the pick is Lundqvist, end of story. Quick and Lundqvist nearly wash each other out when it comes to the key statistics – particularly goals against average, save percentage, and shutouts. Those picking Quick point to two key factors to give him the edge over Lundqvist: Games played (Quick played in 69 games, Lundqvist 62), and the fact that the Kings were one of the worst offensive teams in the league, meaning that Quick’s outstanding season was more important to the success of the Kings than Lundqvist’s efforts were for the Rangers.
This line of logic works, to an extent, but also fails miserably short for a couple of reasons: First, Quick may have played in seven more games than Lundqvist, but Lundqvist finished the season with 39 wins, while Quick finished with 35. The fact that Lundqvist won four more games than Quick despite playing in seven fewer games speaks volumes about what Lundqvist did for the Rangers, particularly when all of the other major statistics compare almost evenly between Lundqvist and Quick.
Secondly, while it is never an official function to compare strength of competition when deciding upon awards, in this particular case, when the major statistics are so close, it is almost necessary. With all due and possible respect to the Pacific Division, the reality is that the division winner (Phoenix) would have finished fifth (97 points) in the Atlantic Division, where the New York Rangers (109 points) play. The Atlantic Division is arguably the best division in all of hockey, or at worst-case the second-best division as both the Atlantic and Central Divisions finished with four teams breaking 100 points.
What does this mean? It is a statistical fact that Lundqvist faced better competition on a regular basis than Quick. With the NHL scheduling practice that leads to more games against divisional foes than anybody else, Lundqvist put up outstanding numbers while playing more times against offensive powerhouses Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New Jersey than anybody else. Los Angeles played in a good Pacific Division, but one cannot compare playing the likes of playing Phoenix, San Jose, and Dallas with the competition Lundqvist faced more regularly … and Lundqvist still won more games than Quick despite appearing seven fewer times.
In other words, with most major statistics being virtually equal, Lundqvist is the Vezina Trophy winner because he faced better competition on a more regular basis … and won more games. End of story.
Furthermore, once again we can play the expectations game for this award. Entering the 2011-2012 season, the Los Angeles Kings were considered a favorite to compete for the Stanley Cup, while the New York Rangers were merely considered a favorite to make the playoffs. The expectations favoring the Kings were so strong that they fired their coach after a slow start. The Kings still made the playoffs, but based on pre-season hype, the case can be made that a 95-point season was a disappointment when considering that 10 teams broke the 100-point plateau this season. The Rangers, on the other hand, wildly exceeded expectations, with the play of Lundqvist being a major factor behind their success. Ultimately, does the award go to a goaltender who helped his team almost meet expectations, or a goaltender who led his team to a year where all expectations were blown away? In this case, the latter should prevail.
HART TROPHY (LEAGUE MOST VALUABLE PLAYER):
Winner – Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Runner-up – Steven Stamkos; Tampa Bay Lightning
Malkin or Stamkos, Stamkos or Malkin? Hard to tell here. Malkin was the only player in the NHL to break 100 points (109), while Stamkos led the league with 60 goals, and his 97 points were not a far cry from Malkin. Stamkos played for a weaker team so shutting him down was not as difficult. It’s a hard call, because the NHL has so few dominant goal-scorers, so Stamkos for the Hart Trophy has some energy to it.
However, ultimately, the Hart Trophy belongs to the individual most valuable to his team and the league, and it is hard to make the case that any player in hockey is more valuable to both than Malkin was this season. In short, Malkin was the best player in the NHL this season, and with Malkin leading the way, the Penguins were a point away from the top-spot in the East. The fact that Malkin was the lone NHL player to break 100 points this season makes his award a landslide, actually.
Malkin is the winner for reasons beyond statistics as well. When it comes to Most Valuable Player, there is a standard that should be considered in choosing an award: What happens if an athlete under consideration is removed from their respective team? The loss of Malkin or Stamkos would be devastating to both of their teams, but for Malkin, his loss would mean the Penguins would go from one of the best teams in hockey to an above average team, while Tampa Bay would still not be in the playoffs. That alone is enough to make a distinction between Malkin and Stamkos.
In addition, the argument supporting Henrik Lundqvist for the Vezina Trophy can be made for Malkin with the Hart Trophy. Malkin was the only player in hockey to surpass 100 points while regularly playing against teams such as the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, and their outstanding goaltenders. If Pittsburgh had more games against teams such as Carolina and Winnipeg than they did against New York and New Jersey, one can deduce that Malkin’s numbers would have been even stronger. Stamkos, on the other hand, did have more games against a weaker division to score goals … a factor that did not hurt his final statistics.
Furthermore, Malkin accomplished what he did without Sidney Crosby in the line-up for much of the season, a factor that cannot be underrated. With Crosby in the Pittsburgh line-up, all eyes are on #87, as are all defensive efforts. Crosby is the most dangerous player on the ice, so when he is around, players like Malkin have an opportunity to shine. This season, teams could key in on Malkin and take extraordinary efforts to shut him down, and yet still, he accomplished something that no other player in hockey did this season.
No tears for Stamkos, though. 60 goals is an incredible milestone for somebody just barely old enough to legally purchase alcohol. The worst kept secret in Florida is that Tampa Bay is about to become nothing short of an NHL powerhouse. Their AHL affiliate – the Norfolk Admirals – are in the midst of one of the greatest winning streaks in the history of professional ice hockey, meaning there is a ton of talent in the Lightning pipeline. Add to the mix that General Manager Steve Yzerman has cleared significant salary cap space for the coming summer, and stockpiled on draft picks, and Tampa Bay is going to become a Stanley Cup contender in a hurry … and will be one for a long time to come. With a better team coming soon, the argument can be made that so is the Hart Trophy for Steven Stamkos.
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